A Step-By Step Guide To Semi Truck Lawsuit
Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury resulting from a crash with a semi-truck can leave a person in medical bills. san angelo semi truck accident case could also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
It is vital to have a reputable New York truck accident lawyer at your side following an accident. A qualified lawyer will assist you in proving your case using evidence such as police reports and surveillance footage.
Vehicles that aren't maintained properly
Owner-operators and trucking companies typically do not take the proper steps to ensure their vehicles are in good repair. This can lead to an astronomical number of preventable accidents occurring every year.
In comparison to passenger cars, tractor-trailers and semis will require more frequent maintenance due to their size and weight. load. However keeping deadlines and increasing profits may take precedence over maintaining a fleet. As a result, trucks are more prone to mechanical problems that can cause catastrophic accidents.
The brakes on a truck must be able stop and slow down the vehicle at a minute's notice. If the brake pads of a truck lines, lines or return springs fail they can result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. These components should be regularly checked and repaired when necessary to ensure they are in good condition.
Inadequately maintained tires can be a major cause of truck accidents. Tires that are worn out can lose traction and cause the truck to rollover or slide. Tires that are defective, whether it's due to improper tread design or air pressure can fail catastrophically.
Regular inspections of trucks are required along with regular maintenance to identify mechanical issues prior to causing an accident. If an inspection is done in a way that is not correct or if the repair shop doesn't follow the manufacturer's instructions, it can cause a crash. In these instances the company that hired or supervising the maintenance or the repair shop could be held accountable.
Another cause of truck accidents is malfunctioning signals, lights, and reflectors. These devices must be correctly functioning to allow drivers to see their truck and anticipate its movements, particularly in rural areas or at night. However, trucking companies might fail to check and maintain these equipments or the driver could fail to perform daily safety checks.
A reputable Houston truck accident lawyer can review your case and identify who might be liable for your damages after you've been injured during an accident caused by a faulty maintenance of a commercial truck. These investigations can reveal evidence proving the defendant's negligence and help you receive the compensation you're entitled to.
Distracted Drivers
Accidents involving commercial trucks can be devastating. These huge vehicles weigh up to 25 times the weight of your vehicle and may cause more serious injuries when they are involved in collisions. Distracted driving is among the many factors that contribute to accidents. A driver who is distracted can lose control of their vehicle or miss an opportunity to avoid a road accident which could lead to life-threatening injuries.
Truck drivers must follow strict rules and regulations established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a prohibition on texting and the use of cell phones while operating their vehicles. Even if truckers follow the rules, they could still be distracted and cause an accident. This can be caused by mechanical distractions like getting your hands off the steering wheel or cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
Many people are aware that texting while driving is risky, but many do not realize that other activities, like eating or changing radio stations or chatting with passengers, are also considered to be distracting. When a truck driver gets distracted, they might wander off into another lane, or fail to see a traffic jam up ahead of them. It only takes a fraction of a second for a huge truck to hit a passenger vehicle if the trucker's mind wanders.
It is crucial to gather information about any witnesses and take photos of the scene of the accident when the driver is distracted and causes a truck crash. It is important to determine the name of the driver, the company for which they work and who owns the vehicle in case it's an independent contractor. This could have an effect on who is accountable for the accident, since it is the responsibility of the trucking business to hire competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking company is found be at least partially responsible for your accident, they may be responsible for your economic and non-economic damages.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are common and can cause serious injuries. They can happen in a variety of situations for example, at an intersection, a stop signal when the trucker fails to check their surroundings for traffic in the direction of oncoming traffic. It can also happen if an automobile crosses the truck's path, forcing the driver of the truck to brake suddenly without warning. The trucker can then slam into the car from behind.
It is often difficult to prove the cause of rear-end collisions, since it's not always clear which vehicle caused the accident. An experienced attorney can gather evidence that proves the driver in the rear caused the crash by following too closely or distracted driving. The evidence can include photographs as well as police reports and eyewitness testimony as well markings from skids on the road.
Sometimes the driver in front could be at fault for the crash as well. This can happen when they cut off someone else or fail use a turn signal as any other reasonable person would do. In this scenario an amended comparative negligence law can be applied. The jury will assign a percentage of blame to each party. Damages are then reduced accordingly.
Lacerations and Bruises

In a rear-end crash the rear-end of the car is the area that experiences the most impact. This means that the passengers are at risk of serious injuries if hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. They can also suffer broken bones as they are scattered around the interior of the car by the force of the crash. Spinal injuries can be serious. The spinal cord houses a number of nerves that regulate the body, therefore any injury to the spinal cord could cause permanent and significant issues for the victims.
A person who is the victim of a serious accident may also experience emotional and psychological trauma. They may have difficulty being able to sleep or concentrate, which can cause depression and anxiety. If they are unable to work due to the degree of their injury this can add stress and financial burden. An attorney can look into all possible causes of liability and assist a victim in seeking fair compensation for their loss.
Problematic trailer hitches
All vehicles, whether they're a car or a truck, van flatbed, van, or must be securely connected to their trailers. When a trailer becomes unexpectedly unhitched, it can lead to catastrophic accidents that result in severe injuries or even death. If you've suffered injuries by a runaway trailer, contact an experienced lawyer for car accidents who specializes in cases involving hitch failure immediately to discuss your legal options.
A malfunctioning trailer hitch may be caused by many different things, from improper securement to a defective design. It could be caused by an issue on the part of the manufacturer where case-by-case product liability laws could apply. The company or person at fault for a faulty trailer is liable for medical bills of victims, auto repair costs, as well as other losses that result from the incident.
For example the fatal crash that took place in January 2014 on an Ohio road known locally as "Devil's Backbone," a trailer came free from the truck and crashed directly into two cars in front of it. Initial investigations pointed out that the accident was due to the truck driver’s negligence for failing to inspect and secure the hitch. However, in June 2015 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect had caused the hitch at the center of the crash -an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel of Trussville, Alabama -- to fail on a large number of occasions.
The trailer struck the side of the vehicles and crashed into them. The result was numerous deaths and serious injuries for the drivers.
The driver of the truck involved in the crash was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter. However experts say that he could have avoided the collision with other vehicles if he had completed a thorough inspection of his trailer and made sure that all connections were secure. The failure of a trailer's hitches can result in major disasters, as these types of incidents typically involve a lot of speed and could easily wipe smaller cars or motorcycles. In these instances, the trailer may distort the frame of a car and result in sharp metal fragments that can impale passengers.